A deaf-mute grabbed the gun of a bank security guard and fired it into the celing after becoming frustrated because he was unable to communicate with bank employees.
"I kept pleading with him to put the gun down by using hand motions," Joel Lowenstein, manager of the Chase Manhattan branch in Queens, said "The police kept yelling at him to drop his weapon. I kept yelling at the police that he was deaf."
For 10 tense minutes police kept their revolvers aimed at the deaf-mute, Jonathan Lyles, 33, of Hicksville, N.Y. "He was holding the gun near his hip, and it pointed at just about everyone as he turned in different direction," said Police Office Nick Ucc.
Some 30 bank customers huddled in fear under counters and against walls during the confrontation. Lyles, clutching the gun nervously, eventually surrended it to Lowenstein, who said he was able to pacify him because of his volunteer work experience with the deaf and handicapped. Lowenstein said.
Lyles had come into the bank last week and early Wednesday morning before returning again at 2:30 that afternoon. Each time, the bank was unable to determine what Lyles wanted. Lyles was charged with menacing, reckless endangerment and possession of a weapon. He was also charged with third degree robbery for taking the guard's gun.
The above article was taken from a Jnuary 14, 1976 Tri City Herald newspaper which demonstrated the level of frustration deaf people had back then when it came to communicating with hearing people. If Mr. Lyles is alive today he'd be about 69 years old. Where is Lyles nowadays?
A screen capture of the newspaper article.
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